The Capsules
Dallas, Texas, United States
Music
Press
The Capsules decided to expand their palette on Northern Lights & Southern Skies and used less guitar and more keyboards, loops and electronics than they have on previous efforts. The music took more than a year to create, with the band working together to bring the hidden nuances out of each song. They still have their otherworldly aura, but there’s also a dark edge that keeps everything rooted to the earth. “Across the Sky” opens the album with a pumping bass and a pulsating keyboard line, supporting Julie’s wistful meditation on lost love. Her layered harmonies bring a hopeful note to the tune’s outro.
You guys will have to wait until January 13, 2013 before Northern Lights & Southern Skies will be released. Until then, we can enjoy the first single from the album now. - Indie Today
Another excellent track, “Across the Sky,” comes from the Capsules. This is the first single off their January 2013 release, Northern Lights & Southern Skies, and has some lovely vocals on it. - Back Beat Seattle
On January 15, the Capsules will release their fourth album, the 10-track Northern Lights & Southern Skies (Vespera). The Lawrence, Kan., trio, which is made up of former members of Shallow, has written a song for SpongeBob SquarePants and has had its music appear in the likes of TV show Roadtrip Nation and video game Borderlands 2. Download Northern Lights & Southern Skies track “Across The Sky” below. - Magnet Magazine
It’s your typical love story really. Jason Shields and his friend Julie started making music together while in high school, fell in love, got married, formed a band (Shallow), the band broke up, formed another band, and ended up writing songs for television shows such as Sponge Bob Square Pants and video games such as Borderlands 2. Okay, so maybe it’s not so typical after all, but along with drummer Kevin Trevino, the trio known as THE CAPSULES have carved a nice little niche for themselves having shared the stage with the likes of the Flaming Lips, Luna, Mercury Rev, Low, and more.
Their new LP is called Northern Light & Southern Skies, and is their first since 2009 and 4th overall. Here we find the group starting to shy away from the expansive guitar sounds of the past in favor of more keyboard and electronic looping. “Across the Sky” really represents the full realization of this transformation as the group lays down a foundation of pulsating, almost turbulent synthesizers that offset Julie Shields wispy, pensive, almost ghostly vocals that seem to float in and out of the frame. All of this is well and good, but the band really makes it count when the clouds part (analogically speaking) leaving the listener basking in waves of church-like organs and synth horn announcements. It’s the kind of moment that has the ability to pick your day up at the drop of a hat, and it’s moments like that transition that we as music appreciators look for. Luckily for us, Northern Light & Southern Skies provides no shortage of them over the course of it’s ten songs, making it all the more a requirement for future listening queues.
Northern Light & Southern Skies is being released on January 15th, 2013 through Vespera Records. - Striker Bill
Rising from the remnants of atmospheric rock band Shallow–a group which found husband and wife duo Julie and Jason Shields touring the world straight out of high school and sharing the stage with bands like Low, The Flaming Lips, and Mercury Rev–the newly christened The Capsules draw on curiously fragmented pop roots and make music which is darker and more introspective than their unassuming name might lead you to believe. And don’t let the fact that Spongebob Squarepants creator Steven Hillenburg tapped The Capsules to write an original song for his show cause you to believe that they’re just another doe-eyed pop band. For their upcoming album Northern Lights & Southern Skies, out January 15th via Vespera Records, the Shields’, along with drummer Kevin Trevino, have dropped most of the guitars that populated their previous records and adopted a dark wash of synths and bass-driven beats that spin around Julie Shields’ vocals and proceed to dive deep down into your brain and make themselves at home. And while their newest song, the darkly theatric “Our Apocalypse,” doesn’t fully speak for the rest of the album, it makes for a striking introduction to the varied production on the record.
“Our Apocalypse” melds distorted beats, swirls of charging synths, and Shields’ eerie vocals into something grandiose but also oddly intimate. The distortion rises into the rafters while her voice beckons the listener ever nearer. She has worlds to describe and not much time to do so. So I’d listen close if I were you.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the track “Our Apocalypse” from The Capsules’ upcoming release, Northern Lights & Southern Skies. - Beats Per Minute - by Joshua Pickard
Interesting smart dreamy pop from The Capsules. This band is the trio comprised of Julie Shields and Jason Shields (who were previously in the band Shallow) and Kevin Trevino (drums). On Northern Lights & Southern Skies these folks are treading in territory where shoegazer meets electronic meets pop. Or you might just want to refer to it more simply as modern techno pop. These three musicians have already had great successes with their music. Steven Hillenburg asked them to write a song forSpongeBob SquarePants...their music has been used in the television show Roadtrip Nation (as well as several video games)...and they've shared the stage with some credible big name acts. Combining some of the best elements from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, these folks have a winning sound and style that is instantly appealing. Ten groovy cuts here including "Across The Sky," "With Signs Repeating," "Where It All Begins," and "Magnetic Fields." Cool. - BabySue.com
This trio, fronted by Shallow members Julie and Jason Shields, with Kevin Trevino on drums, play thick and mesmerizing dreampop that crashes like ocean waves across the air. Some of Julie's vocals touch upon a Kim Deal elegance, while in the background the music moves from a Low slowness to a bright but deep shoegazing drive. Hints of bands like My Bloody Valentine creep in, making one wonder about the last name of Shields, but there's also a clean sparkle to the songs that lifts everything up. It's all airy wonderment, like a straightforward Cocteau Twins song, or a Cranes song with much nicer vocals. Even when the tracks seem to drift towards nowhere, the melodies and rhythm keep the music feeling sweet, and it's all OK. - Marcel Feldmar
Long ago, from a galaxy far, far, away, a group of mysterious aliens landed in the American Midwest and formed a band known as Shallow. Their sounds were as vast as nebulae and as bright as stars. After a few years of playing their three-dimensional high-flying kid stuff to an international audience, the band jumped away as it exploded in the year 2000.
With Reverser, Julie and Jason Shields and Kevin Trevino have landed a new space vehicle from a more peaceful, more distant realm of outer space. The sweetness of Julie’s voice is captured in the most crystal-clear form to date on these dreamy space lullabies. Jason’s bass lines still follow the most melodic path to anchoring a groove with a more organic tone than in the past. In fact, the entire band has taken a positive step with more tasteful and restrained approach to its use of effects (the most effects-laden song is the instrumental “I Don’t Know Much About Zero”). None of these songs surpass a moderate ballad pace; rather, they float and drift in zero gravity while reflecting cosmic radiance. “They All Went Quietly” is the most up-tempo of the bunch with “I’ll Be the One” and “Bee Keeping” further exemplifying the relaxed atmosphere of the album. - Mark Cuthbertson
The Capsules are led by Julie and Jason Shields who were formerly in the under-recognized band Shallow. The Capsules specialize in soaring melodies, with the almost adolescent vocals of Julie soaring over top. They create sparse, flowing, dreamy melodies with some very good pop hooks to keep the listener interested. The sparse nature of the music keeps the listener interested and hooked on what is happening in the song, creating a little bit of an ambient feel to some of the tracks.
"A Place To Stay" starts the disc off with a flowing dreamy melody mixed in with sound effects of crashing waves. Julie's vocals soar over the repeating guitar lines, sound effects, and rolling cymbal crashes. "I'll Be The One" makes perfect effects from mixing two vocal tracks with each other for a very interesting vocal melody. Julie's voice is very strong on both vocal tracks, and the soaring music eventually gives way to a more minimalistic guitar part. The Capsules prove that they are adapt at building up their momentum in their quieter moments and then bursting out with dream pop beauty. "Someday" has a very beautiful flowing sparse melody, with melancholic vocals that occasionally come off a little bit like the Chipmunks with Julie's high pitched voice.
"Bee Keeping" shows off how beautiful Julie's voice can be, and she puts the listener into a dream like state. Their are some swirling sound effects and keyboard work that lay down a cloudy track that accentuates the haziness of the song. "Lift Off" does exactly what its titles says, with soaring melodies building and dropping with some interesting effects adding to the song. "When You Were Young" uses the sparse music as a formation for some achingly beautiful vocals that can almost put the listener to sleep. The melodies just float in and out while the vocals combine perfectly, rarely interrupting the music.
The Capsules first release shows just how beautiful a good band can be, when they know what they are doing. The music flows on a dream-like level throughout the whole CD with Julie's voice being a powerful enough tool to break through. Reverser is a soaring dreamy release with some ambient moments that lets the listener know what the Capsules are all about. - Kris
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Originating from Lawrence, KS, The Capsules have a tendency for sleepless nights, writing pensive, late night reveries. When they emerge from these states, they bring with them a soundtrack to the half forgotten memories that pass through the space between reality and whimsy. The songs on Northern Lights & Southern Skies unfold in the place where the heart is open to the mysteries of the universe and help us gain a bit of insight into the experiences of love, loss, and longing that makes us human. Julie Shields has a comforting voice that sounds like your best friend whispering in your ear, while the melodic bass of Jason Shields and Kevin Trevinos understated drumming keep things deceptively simple.
The Capsules decided to expand their pallet on Northern Lights & Southern Skies and used less guitar and more keyboards, loops and electronics than they have on previous efforts. They still have their otherworldly aura, but theres also a dark edge that keeps everything rooted to the earth.
Jason and Julie started writing music together in high school. In the process, they fell in love, got married, and started their first band, which was called Shallow. At an age when most people are trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives, they were already signed, professional musicians touring the world.
After Shallow ended, Julie and Jason continued writing, looking for a drummer to compliment their lush, bright pop lullabies. Kevin Trevino had been a fan of Shallow and, after a few rehearsals under the newly formed name The Capsules, the trio clicked. They started touring, making records and winning fans, including Steven Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, who asked them to write a song for the show. Their songs have also been used in the PBS television show Roadtrip Nation and in several video games, including the megahit Borderlands 2. They have shared the stage with lot of great acts including The Flaming Lips, Garbage, Mercury Rev, and Low.
Look out for videos for Across the Sky and Our Apocalypse, then theyll be playing select dates while they continue to explore new sonic territory that will allow them to take their heart wrenching visions into even more exciting musical and emotional dimensions.
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